Abstract/Summary

A total of 211 juvenile and paralarval squid were collected on five research cruises made in the Scotia Sea region during the austral summer (1996-1999). These included specimens of Alluroteuthis antarcticus (Neoteuthidae), Batoteuthis skolops (Batoteuthidae), Brachioteuthis sp. (Brachioteuthidae), Galiteuthis glacialis (Cranchiidae), Gonatus antarcticus (Gonatidae), Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (Cranchiidae), Psychroteuthis glacialis (Psychroteuthidae), and a number of small onychoteuthids. The specimens ranged in size from 3.8 to 51.9 mm (dorsal mantle length), and significant differences in the size of the specimens collected were found both between and within species. Water mass type, ocean depth, daylight state and cruise (year) all had significant effects on the overall pattern of catches of squid per trawl under specific circumstances, but no significant differences were found in the pattern of catches of the individual species. Indications were found that different species favour different water masses, that the near shelf environment may be the most productive for catches of juvenile squid, and that there are interannual differences in the catches of juvenile squid in the vicinity of South Georgia. Overall, although based on a small sample of specimens, this study found that the regional oceanography does influence the distribution of juvenile squid in the Scotia Sea.